Picking mechanism for looms



Nov. L, 1949 E. A. sANToN 2,486,885

PICKING MEcHANIsM FOR Looms Filed June l5'. 1948 INVENTOR ELL/07 A. SAA/TUN @mf-Www ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 1, 1,949

PICKING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Elliot A. Santen, Worcester, Mass., assgnor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 15, 1948, Serial No. 33,149

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to picking mechanisms for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide an improved form of picking shaft constructed to reduce shaft breakage and also improve the character of motion imparted to the shuttle.

It is common practice to make picking shafts of a single continuous piece of metal which receives power at one of its ends from a loom shaft and delivers power to picking mechanism at its other end. Such a picking shaft is subject to vibrations which cause shaft lbreakage and also interfere with the delivery of an uneven flow of power to the shuttle. It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved picking shaft made preferably in two aligned parts connected by a resilient coupling located between the power input and the power output ends of the shaft. The coupling absorbs the greater part of the vibration arising at the power input end of the shaft and effects a smooth iiow of power to the picker stick for the propulsion of the shuttle.

Part of the vibration of the usual picker shaft is transverse of its length and it is a further object of the invention to provide an intermediate bearing for a journal on the coupling to arrest such vibration.

With these and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein the invention is shown as applied to a loom having a so-called batwing pick,

Fig. l is an end elevation of a loom with parts in section and showing the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 6 4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, the loom frame comprises two loomsides II) and I I between which extend top and bottom shafts I2 and I3. These shafts are ordinarily connected together by gearing not shown so proportioned as to turn the bottom shaft I3 once for every other pick of the loom and turn the top shaft every pick oi the loom. A connector I4 extends forwardly from the top or crank shaft I2 and is attached to the f' lay I5 having in the present instance a shuttle box I6. The lay has a lay end I'l supporting a picker spindle I8 for a sliding picker I9 which is aligned with the shuttle SH. The picker I9 is propelled by a picker stick 2li pivoted at 2| to a rocker iron 22 on the rocker shaft 23 which serves as a pivot for the lay. The picker stick receives power from a lug strap 24 operatively connected to a power arm 25.

The bottom shaft I3 is provided with a picking actuator which in the present instance is an arm 30 secured to the shaft and having a picking roll 3| adapted for cooperation with a picking cam 32. In the form of the invention illustrated herein the cam is on the picking shaft designated generally at S, but in other forms of the inven tion a cam may be on the shaft I3 and an arm or the like not shown attached to the shaft S.

-In either instance the picking actuator 3l) will cooperate with a power input means for the shaft S, this means in the present instance being the cam 32. The loom has spaced front and back bearings 33 and 34, respectively, held in fixed position and supporting the front and rear ends of the shaft S.

The matter thus far described. may be of usual construction and except as noted hereinafter forms no part of the invention. It is to be understood that the mechanism shown is duplicated at the other side of the loom, but since the two mechanisms are essentially the same only one of them will be described.

The present invention provides two aligned front and back shaft members 4i) and 4I, respectively, which may be of rectangular cross section as designated at A, Fig. 1. The power arm 25 is secured to a rectangular part of the front shaft member 40 and the cam 32, or power input means, is secured to a rectangular part of the rear shaft member 4I. Shaft member il@ has the forward end thereof turned down to provide a cylindrical gudgeon 42 received by the front bearing 33, while the rear end of shaft member ll is similarly provided with a rear gudgeon 43 for the back bearing 34.

The front and rear shaft members are confnected together by a coupling designated gensomewhat compressible material such as an elastic rubber.

The forward end of rear shaft member 4I is turned down as at 55 and keyed to a sleeve 56 having secured thereto several radial pins 51 four of which are shown in Fig. 4. These pins turn with the shaft member 4| and extend centrally through and have a close t with the rubber rings 5|.

As will be apparent from Fig. 5 angular movement of rear 4shaft member 4| will effect turning of the pins 51 around the axis of the shaft S and power will be transmitted from the pins to the rubber rings 5| to cause turning of the front shaft member 40. The rubber rings or pads 5| serve as shock absorbers and vibration arresters but are amply strong to transmit the-powerr required for the picking operation of the loom.

An intermediate bearing 6i] can be provided if desired to support theshaft S between the power arm and power input means 32. This bearing has a foot 6| secured as at 52 to the loomside ID and has spaced bearings 63 and 64. The hub 46 is in effect a journal which is received by the bearing 63, while the sleeve 5B is also formed as4 a journal to be received by and turn in bearing 64. The bearings 63 and B4 are aligned with themselves and also with the front and back bearings 33 and 34. While two bearings 53 and 64 are shown one of them will suihce for certain applications of the invention.

In the operation of the invention rotation of shaft |3 in the direction of arrow a, Fig. l, will cause rocking of the shaft S every other pick of the loom by engagement of roll 3| Iwith cam 32. Power put into the rear shaft member 4| in this manner is transmitted through the coupling C to the front shaft member 4|! and thence by way of the power arm 25 and lug strap 24 to the Dicker stick 20. The power is transferred from the sleeve 56 and pins 51 through the rubber rings and thence to the carrier 48 and ange 45 to the shaft member 4|). Each of the shaft members 40 and 4| is secured to an element of the coupling, the sleeve 56 and pins 51 comprising the element corresponding to the rear shaft member, while the flange and the resilient rings 5| constitute the elementl for the front shaft member 40. During the rocking of the shaft the rear shaft member 4| will turn in response to rotation of the picking actuator 30, but the elastic rings 5|, being lslightly compressible, permit a small amount of relative angular movement between the front and back shaft members 40 and 4|, so that any vibration set up by engagement of the roll 3| by the cam 32 will be either absorbed or considerably reduced and not be transmitted to the front shaft member 4|! and thence to the shuttle by way of the picker stick.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided` a simple form of picking mechanism for a loom including a picking shaft made of front and rear aligned shaft members having gudgeons to support the front and back ends of the shaft S in bearing-s 33 and 34. The shaft members are operatively connected by a coupling .C including a non-metallic resilient compressible material, such as elastic rubber. The coupling is made of two parts or elements one of which is fastened to the rear shaft member 4|. The coupling is also provided with journals received by one or both of the bearings 63 and 64. The shaft. members are illustrated as rectangular in cross section andhaving cylindrical gudgeons at their ends,

but the invention is not necessarily limited to shaft members thus formed.

Having thus described the invention it will be seen that changes and modifications of the foregoing specic disclosure may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a picking shaft for a loom having front and back bearings and provided with a picker stick and a picking actuator, a front shaft member having agudgeon for the front bearing and a rear shaft member aligned with the front shaft member and havinga gudgeon for the back bearing, a power arm secured to said front shaft mem.- ber for operative connection with the picker stick, .a .power input means on the rear shaft member for operation by the picking actuator, two adjacent coupling elements one of which is secured to said front shaft member and the other of which is secured to said rear shaft member, and resilient non-metallic material operatively connecting said coupling members and causing said shaft members to turn together.

2. In a picking shaft for a loom having front, intermediate and back bearings and provided with a picker stick and a picking actuator, a front shaft member for the front bearing, a rear shaft member for the back bearing, said shaft members being substantially aligned, a power arm for the picker stick secured to the front shaft member, a power input means for the picking actuator secured to the rear shaft member, a resilient non-metallic coupling operatively connecting adjacent ends of said shaft members and causing the latter to turn together but permitting slight relative angular movement of said shaft members, and a journal on said coupling for the intermediate bearing.

3. In a picking shaft for a loom having a picking actuator and a picker stick, said shaft comprising two substantially aligned shaft members each of which is of rectangular cross section, cylindrical gudgeons formed on the opposite ends of said shaft members, a coupling element secured to the end of each shaft member adjacent to the other shaft member, resilient rubber operatively connecting the coupling elements causing said shaft members to turn together but permitting slight relative angular movement of said shaft members, a power input means on one of said shaft members for cooperation with the actuator, and a power arm on the other shaft member for operative connection with the picker stick.

4. In a loom having a picking actuator and a picker stick and having also front and back bearings, front and rear substantially aligned shaft members, the front shaft member being Supported by the front bearing and the rear shaft member being supported by the back bearing, a power input means secured to the rear shaft member for operation by the picking actuator, a power arm secured to the front shaft member for operative connection with the picker stick, and resilient means operatively connecting adjacent ends of said shaft members intermediate said input means and power arm causing said shaft members to turn together but permitting slight relative angular movement of said shaft members.

5. In a loom having a picking actuator and a picker stick and having also front and back bearings, aligned front and rear shaft members, the front shaft member being supported by the front bearing and the rear shaft member being supported by the back bearing, a power input means secured to the rear shaft member for operation by the picking actuator, a power arm secured to the front shaft member for operative connection with the picker stick, and resilient coupling means connecting adjacent ends of said shaft members intermediate said front and back bearings and intermediate said input means and arm causing said shaft members to turn together but permitting slight relative angular movement of said shaft members, said resilient coupling means comprising a coupling element for each shaft member and a body of elastic rubber operatively connecting said coupling elements.

6. In a loom having a picking actuator and a picker stick and having also front and back bearings, a picking shaft comprising substantially aligned front and rear shaft members, the front shaft member having a gudgeon on the front end thereof received by the front bearing and the rear shaft member having a gudgeon on the rear end thereof received by the back bearing, power input means secured to the rear shaft member for operation by the picking actuator, a

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,861,753 Peters June 7, 1932 2,181,183 Guy NOV. 28, 1939 2,255,172 Johnson Sept. 9, 1941 

